The Global Faculty Program, a key part of the University of Cologne's internationalization strategy, aims to attract top international researchers for collaboration and enhance the visibility and competitiveness of specific Key Profile Areas (KPAs) and contributes to the internationalization of teaching especially at the post-graduate level.

CECAD is at the core of the KPA "Aging-associated Diseases", providing an extremely dynamic environment for research on the aging process and aging-associated diseases. With an interdisciplinary approach and three research areas, CECAD is a leading international institution on aging, and it was already acquired in the 1st funding round of the Excellence Initiative. CECAD is now in its third funding period.